Ten Music Videos With Special Effects Part VI

All 60 Music Videos With Special Effects are on a YouTube playlist ready to be YouTubeN'Chilled.

1. Nao - "Fool To Love" 2016  I first discovered now via "So Good" with A.K. Paul last year and I overplayed the shit out of that song too. Nao is doing it right. This latest instantly infectious track from the East London artist has helped me to work on my car dancing over the last few days. Thanks Nao!




2. Flying Lotus - "Phantasm" 2012  I just learned from FlyLo's impressive Wikipedia page that he is an ex Stones Throw intern which has always sounded like an amazing idea to me. My Brainfeeder shirt is one of my favorites because it actually fits AND because I truly appreciate the efforts Flying Lotus has put into his label.

Flying Lotus (feat. Laura Darlington) - Phantasm from The Bow on Vimeo.

Plus, how cool is this press photo.

3. Vivians (Mndsgn + Koreatown Oddity) - "The Shaw (In The 90's)" 2015  I'm a sucker for all the 90s nostalgia videos and this one is no exception. Watch "Flip And Rewind" by Rashida Jones for another example. Mndsgn of Vivians was affiliated with Stones Throw but is now on Akashik Records, I fux with them.




4. Mick Jenkins - "P's + Q's" 2015  This is reminiscent of the Spike Jonze video for "Drop" in the best way. I do prefer "Drop" over this track but the visuals could not be better. I was seeking out a "Making The Video" type thing but found this instead. Mick Jenkins has been killin it since before I first got hip around "The Roots" in 2013.





5. ABRA - "Fruit" 2015  I'm not a huge Awful Records fan but this is fire. I've been overplaying this song since I first discovered it...too late, just a few days ago. Fortunately, it's never too late for a new favorite song.




6. bryson, the alien - "2heavy" 2016  PORTLAND MUSIC  There's so much good music in Portland, it's always worth a road trip. This was likely a pretty low-budget video (this is a rad thing) but the special effects take it to the next level. Here's his Twitter; follow him so you can see what he does next.




7. Aesop Rock - "Rings" 2016  Aesop Rock has had his game stepped up for decades. Click here to see how many YouTube videos it takes to launch an album Rhymesayers style (AKA the right way). This video is amazing and so are the efforts of Aesop Rock. You should probably buy his new album The Impossible Kid.



Here's a picture of me and him taken just after his recent show in Bellingham before I realized that I gave him poor service as a fill-in promoter rep because I was too nervous to be myself. My mom saw this photo and thought he must be my new tall and handsome boyfriend because I look so happy in this photo; I was very sad to disappoint her.

8. Massive Attack feat. Young Fathers - "Voodoo In My Blood" 2016  With all the SIFF heads in town, you'd think we'd have more videos from local artists like this. Hmmm....scheming. My sister Ingrid would say this is a "problem song."




9. Oshun feat. Proda - "Protect Your Self" 2016  Found these ladies via Team Backpack and have been watching out for them ever since. This video got them on NPR's radar, if they weren't already. Hope to see them in Seattle soon!




10. Ripley Snell feat. Grape God - "Timeless" 2013 (Prod. by Neill Von Tally) PORTLAND MUSIC  Theses two are some of the most unique and interesting people I've ever met. I recently booked a show in Portland for Grape God and Ripley Snell as Wine + Coffee, DoNormaal, OCnotes (w/ Rik Rude + Astro King Phoenix), Raven Matthews, and Snugsworth at The Know. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Fortunately, these cats are time travelers so we'll be able to relive the evening.

From upper left to right (Ripley Snell, OCnotes, Rik Rude, Skelli Skel) Bottom left to right (Northern Draw + Grape God) 

Sadly not pictured below because I was too busy living in the moment for once are DoNormaal, Raven Matthews, Astro King Phoenix, and Snugsworth.

The first five lists of Special Effects videos can be reached via the links below.

Feb 7, 2013  This list is from when I was still too shy to use my voice but the songs are great!

May 22, 2013  Part 2 includes En Vogue's Sesame Street video "Adventure." Straight fire.

November 20, 2013  I had finally learned about HTML from my former ReignCity team and could finally use YouTube properly in Part 3.

August 27, 2014  My favorite self-quote from Part 4 is "I wonder if this is what it feels like to be Thom Yorke." 

January 20, 2015  In which I use a Beavis & Butthead meme that says "Yes! Tool!" Part 5

NowFutur - "Origins Of The Villain"

I found "Origins Of The Villain" on Rappcats last March and we immediately became homies. We went on road trips together, cooked fabulous meals, chilled out and looked at art books, took long walks in the woods, and did all kinds of fun things together. OOTV disappeared from Soundcloud for awhile which really put a damper on our relationship. I'm very happy to say that "Origins Of The Villain" and I have been seeing each other again. OOTV had to take some personal time to get tracked out and find some new artwork; pretty sure it's been hijacked by someone but I love OOTV anyway. I can no longer keep our relationship undocumented, let's make this official.

Relationship Status: In A Long-Term Relationship with "Origins Of The Villain"

ORIGINS OF THE VILLAIN from NOw FUTUR on Vimeo.

A word on the video from the creators, I'll forgive the "ALL CAPS" this time because it's so Madvillainy:

A VIDEO AND AUDIO TRIBUTE WE DID FOR MF DOOM FLIPPING HIS BEATS RE-CREATING THEM USING ORIGINAL SAMPLES AND ADDING VIDEOS TO IT 
WE'VE PLAYED THIS LIVE AS AN OPENING ACT FOR MF DOOM 
MIXED ASSEMBLED AND EDITED BY SIMS, MASS + ALAN the G
artwork by Julien Sens

Swoon.

Ten Music Videos With Power Jewelry

1. NxWorries (Anderson.Paak + Knxwledge) - "Suede" 2015  STONES THROW Anderson.Paak's septum piercing is the power jewelry but Folerio's tiny dog counts as a power accessory as well. I was down with Anderson.Paak before I heard this song but have now purchased my ticket to ride the "Suede" train. His Malibu album is the best full album I've heard in a very long time; thank you Anderson.Paak!





2. THEESatisfaction - "Recognition" 2015  THEESatisfaction have transcended the label Seattle Music and have moved into the Black Constellation. Mad recognition goes out to the ladies of Sub Pop for this project. Cat AKA SassyBlack is one of my three favorite people to follow on social media. Russell Simmons, Dam Funk, and SassyBlack are all about spreading the love and good energy. I fux with that hardcore.




3. Wati Heru X Kashaka - "New Blue Hunnids" 2015  All this Black light business is glowing power jewelry. It reminds me of the video for Kyla La Grange's "Cut Your Teeth." The beat is fire, the video is awesome, the lyrics are sus.




4. Heltah Skeltah - "Operation Lockdown" 1996  Shoutout to Wusaeng for scream-rapping Heltah Skeltah to me so I could fall in love with the Nocturnal album two decades late. The verse starting at 1:32 sounds almost exactly like Specs Wizard; trips me out every time.





5. Dynas + Tony Galvin feat. Slick Rick - "Who U" 2015  Slick Rick's signature eye patch, gold teeth, and chains make for an instantly recognizable animated character even without eyes or a nose. I wonder if there's already a Know Your Rap Chains quiz or app. Somebody jump on that.




6. SBTRKT feat. Roses Gabor - "Pharoahs" 2011  I actually think that this is the weakest song on his classic self-titled album...that just proves how rad the album is.





7. Diva - "Divinity" 2015  STONES THROW Her finger thingies are very much power jewelry but it'd be really hard to eat a sandwich with them on. Sacrificing lunch for fashion is a no go for me. Props to Diva for letting her inner weirdo shine.




8. Aku-Matu feat. The Lox - "An Ancestor From The Future" 2013  This lady is dope. Crazy that someone from the future has already contacted us via YouTube and there's not even 2016 views.




9. Lee Scott - "Butter Fly" 2015 (Produced by Dirty Dike) (UK HIP HOP)  I love that UK hard means baseball bats instead of guns. High Focus Records has quite a few artists on their roster but not all of them are that tight. I'm borderline disgusted and in awe of Dirty Dike; his "10 Dike Commandments" and "Pork Pie" had me hooked.





10. Kwamie Liv - "Lost In The Girl" 2016  I'm down with Kwamie Liv, she coo. Almost began another balloon list when I saw this. This song is aight but "5AM" and "Follow You" continue to be my favorites.

Specs Wizard - "Golden Eagle EP"

My favorites on the long-awaited new Specs Wizard "Golden Eagle EP" are "Shy" and "Golden Eagle." I'd really love to see Specs go for the gold and complete a music video or two for this project and to overall step into prolific artist mode. Shout out to Adam and Tyler Swan at Sauco who get the Engineering and Mixing credits on the EP as well as Adam Straney on the Mastering. Album photo by Astro King Phoenix from our field trip Deception Pass with Wolf Delux last year.

I cannot wait to see what Specs does next. If he can harness his momentum and put in the work, he'll be able to make the mark on the music and art communities we've known he was meant to for decades.



Specs can be found March 11 at Vermillion for The Jam All Stars Edition featuring Silas Blak, Tulsi, and the rest of the official Jam crew, AbsoluteMadman, and DJ Able Fader. The Jam unites all of the best people in the oasis of cool that is Vermillion.

Specs recently headlined the 2016 Kickoff of Home Slice on the Showroom stage of The Crocodile with Silas Blak, Meteor Killers, Sir Withers, and DJ Able Fader. Thanks to Adam, my General Manager at The Croc, I was able to pay Specs to paint this mural on the 2nd Avenue wall as promotion for the show. The mural is gone now but will live on digitally. As with every month's Home Slice, I curated the event so that all of my favorite people would be there. Felt 100% at the end of the night because I got props from Vitamin D. Success!

Ten Great Short Film Music Videos

Here's a link to a YouTube playlist with 12 Short Film-style Music Videos. 

1. Onry Ozzborn - "duofilm" 2016 (SEATTLE MUSIC) Congratulations to Onry on the successful Visual Album Debut at Nectar 2/13/16 for this project! It's wonderful to see people putting in huge efforts to do something unique. The following are his words on the video and the March 25 Fake Four release of "duo":

"DUO is an album I created of calculated duets with some good friends of mine (hence the album title), + duofilm is visual version of the album edited down to a 15min viewing.
Almost every guest off the album participated in duofilm such as Aesop Rock, Kimya Dawson, P.O.S, Nathan Quiroga of Iska Dhaaf, Terra Lopez of Sister Crayon, Rob Sonic, etc, bringing forth a very diverse sitting filled with variety + depth."

The Album Release party for "duo" is April 7 at Nectar Lounge with Homeboy Sandman, Blueprint, Divide The Poet, What Have May, Mr. Hill, and Special Surprise Guests (I'll give you one guess). Onry is straight killin it.

2. M.I.A. - "Born Free" 2010  M.I.A. is a Queen On This Earth because she dares to be her true authentic self and share it with all of us in such an unfiltered manner. She's definitely found a way to channel her inner Bowie. Props.



Do yourself a favor and go to the only place you can leave with everything you want, money being no object...the library. Her self-titled book is there waiting for you to check out for free.

3. Alexandre Francisco Diaphra - Blackbook Of The Beats 2015  This was another great international Okay Player find. I've included a small portion of the YouTube credits for some background info on the artist.

A multifaceted artist from Guinea-Bissau, based in Lisbon: rapper, poet, edutainer & beatmaker, creating music based on improvisation in which he blends his psychedelic, black music, afro ancestral influences and love for the non-quantized beats in the same way as with experimental jazz, mixed contemporary and urban styles. Last year Diaphra wons the 3rd place at the 1st International Poetry Slam in Rio de Janeiro (Flupp).

4. Thundercat - "Them Changes" 2015  Thundercat and the Brainfeeder crew managed to fit a whole story in their three and a half minute video for "Them Changes."



Thundercat is part of Flying Lotus' WOKE Supergroup with Shabazz Palaces; which may end up being one of the most exciting musical endeavors we've seen in awhile. Even Thundercat is stoked on it.




5. Florence + The Machine - "Queen Of Peace / Long And Last" 2015  She has quite the flair for drama doesn't she? I'm down with Florence, her creative vision and efforts are inspiring. I'm not in love with this song in the least but still think the project is coo. "Cosmic Love" still goes.




6. ASM (A State Of Mind) feat. DOOM as King Dumile - "Masking" 2015  It's been suggested via the artist's website that we  "Imagine a Quentin Tarantino movie set in ancient Greece and scored by Ennio Morricone and A Tribe Called Quest" with DOOM in it. I'm in. ASM is touring in Europe over the next few months. I hope he makes it to Seattle someday soon.




7. Grape God - "Open: A Flexistential Crisis" 2015 (PORTLAND MUSIC) During his October 19, 2015 performance at Home Slice in The Crocodile Back Bar (my monthly local Hip Hop showcase) he painted, percolated coffee, burned his own scent of candles, and was all around totally awesome. Ripley Snell and Skelli Skel were part of the time travel magic as well.



Grape God is one of the most unique and talented time travelers I've ever met. He recently released a one track jazz album and painting that he made on Valentine's Day. All hail Grape God. #444




8. ZHU X AlunaGeorge - "Automatic" 2015  I was blessed to see London artists, AlunaGeorge, at The Crocodile on October 18, 2015; it was whoa. My master plan includes immersing myself fully in UK music scene for a bit when the time is right. I'm still working on the music bridge that will get me there.




9. Flying Lotus - "FUCKKKYOU" 2016  Flying Lotus rightfully got mad props for this one...

*Official Selection Sundance 2016
*World Premiere Sundance Next Fest 2015
*Official Selection AFI Fest 2015
*Official Selection Fantastic Fest 2015
*Winner Zubroffka International Short Film Fest 2015
*Official Selection Zinema Zombie Fest 2015
*Official Selection Shivers Genre Film Festival 2015
*Official Selection Bogotá Short Film Festival 2015
*Official Selection HollyShorts 2016
*Official Selection Twister Alley Film Festival 2015
*Official Selection Madeira Micro Film Festival 2015

With the ability to travel in time, a lonely girl finds love and comfort by connecting with her past self. Eventually faced with rejection she struggles with her identity and gender, and as time folds onto itself only one of them can remain.

Director | Producer | Editor - Eddie Alcazar
Composer | Sound Design - Flying Lotus
Producer - Javier Lovato
Cinematography - Danny Hiele
Cast - Jesse Sullivan | Charles Baker




10. Mike Larry Draw - "Similar Contrast" 2015  This video stars the multi-talented Araless of Black Magic Noize, Vaughn illa, and Z3LLI from my hometown of Seattle. The video is so good that I didn't realize I wasn't into the music itself until I watched it again. Side note, Vaughn illa is not this evil in real life, not even a little bit.